On a Roll

And since I redecorated my living room, I figured I might as well organize it too. It's been a love/hate trip down memory lane, looking through photo albums (ugh! those ugly college photos!) and finding scraps of notes tucked inside books. I wonder if I'll ever acquire that vast collection of books I've wanted since I was little. Or maybe by the time I can afford that collection, I will just buy electronic books. At any rate, it feels good to sort and purge, even if it means visiting the crypt of my past.

From Drab to Fab: on a Budget

Here you have the before and afters of the two "bigger ticket" items in my living room redo. This little round table was a Goodwill find for $15. Not only is it old, but it has those little curvy feminine details I was going for. I sprayed it with several coats of white spray paint, a coat of ivory, and then a top coat of white. (I think it makes the white look deeper and older to have a layer of ivory underneath the pure white).

And the mirror was a Craiglist find for $30, which is a steal of you've shopped for mirrors lately. (I went to TJMaxx, Marshall's and several second-hand home furnishings stores and the cheapest large mirrors I found were at least $50). I bought it from an elderly couple and it didn't have any scratches or marks on it. Bonus. Again, some spray paint and voila. Rococo-modern mirror.

Ever-Changing Living Room Wall: Stilled

I decided I needed somewhere in my house to act as a grounding wire: to catch all the crazy ideas I have in my head. A place where change is inevitable, because my tastes change about as quickly as seasons and I get bored, fast. Meet my living room wall, the one above my couch, to be precise. I've changed her yet again. This time, I was going for a more feminine, softer look, to counterbalance the blocky, masculinity of the sometimes overpowering brown couches.

I got everything at thrift stores, an antique store bargain basement, and the mirror I found on Craigslist.

I'll do another post tomorrow with befores and afters. It was really fun putting this together. Honestly, I felt guilty hammering away in my pajamas this morning, it was so much fun. Now you know why I change it up so often. For the sheer thrill of creating.

Getting the Hand-tint Look with Photoshop

I love the style of this encaustic-tinted vintage photo.

So I found some instructions on the world wide web to do it in Photoshop. This is the first picture I did, so it's not super-good, but it was so fun to "color" my family picture. I felt like a little girl with her new box of Crayolas, picking colors that look vintage and making it look hand-tinted.

encaustic photo here
Photoshop tinting instructions here

We Meet Again

Usually I do one or two loads of laundry a day. Since today is a six-load-day I thought I would share some of my laundry quirks with you.

For instance:

I don't sort colors when washing. "Pour it in the pot" is my motto.

When folding clothes, the bulkiest items in the pile are folded first.

Underwear is folded last.

Travis' shirts must not be folded, but laid in a pile to be put on hangers.


What about you? Do you have any unusual laundering methods? I'd love to hear them. Excuse me while I go fold the laundry mountain on my dining room table...

The Man

Happy Martin Luther King Day! I just happened to find this plate in the bargain basement of an antique store today. (No, I didn't buy it for MLK, I am going to paint over him). How uncool of me, I know. I hope to show you what I've been shopping all over town for this week. Don't get your hopes up, but check back and see what I've been doing.

Saturday: In Living Color

Punk Rocker Transformation



I have to tell you why I took these photos (don't judge me for having sloppy joe mouth corners: I scrubbed and they wouldn't go away!) Anyways, as I was saying, I took them to show you what I looked like 5 minutes before I stepped out the door to go to a Relief Society meeting, and then after I hurried and put on my basic ready face (mascara, foundation, powder, eyebrows penciled in, eyeshadow cream, chapstick and some pomade on my hair). I always have a debate running in my head if I think women are prettier with makeup or without. Most of the time I don't wear makeup, but when I got to church or the doctor's office, it is a must. Are you an always-wearing-makeup kind of girl or do you prefer au naturale?

That Close




Morning ritual: singing a silly song (this morning it was the "Dora the Explorer" theme song) with my lips touching Miles silky cheeks. He leans in really close, tilts his head into me and holds really still while I sing quietly. That boy! He's golden.


(Except that the childcare worker lady at the gym said he was pulling all the kids hair and scratching them yesterday. Is he capable of doing such naughty things? :)

Reshuffling

Lucy made the "big move" last weekend, you know, the one out of a crib into a "big girl" bed. (I think it was high time as she is days away from turning three). And, because we took down her crib and Finn now sleeps in Miles' room, I wanted to create a new look for Lucy's room. I was anticipating having to spend some money, but it all came together using things we already had, which was super nice.

I got the alphabet print from Sycamore Street Press last year at a local craft show.

The large ballerina painting (by my talented sister Emily) used to hang in our stairwell hallway, but now graces Lucy's room. Perfect for a little ("big girl") ballerina's room.

For a Baby Boy

I literally sewed all day yesterday (except to hand out snacks and do a preschool pick-up). It was such a wonderful break from the daily grind.

I gave this to a friend who is expecting a boy in mere weeks!

And the other item I worked on yesterday? One lucky person will just have to wait and see what arrives in his/her mailbox!

quilt tutorial here

Living the Quiet(er) Life

I've thought alot about my New Year's Resolutions and have decided on one. To live quieter. To me, that means to listen more than I talk, to pause and reflect when my inclinations are to raise my voice and blurt out in anger, to sit and read more with my kids, to do things because they are right and not so that people will see what I do. It's a step back from the never-ending race to cross everything off the day's to-do list. It means doing less but living more fully. So, in this new year, 2010, I hope to relax a little more and slow down. Because we already have enough going on around here: I don't need to be the one stirring.

Clowning Around

I thought Lucy was napping, but alas, she managed to get all my tubes of lipstick in her bedside table drawer, paint some rouge on her face and she was even humming to herself when I caught her. Busted!

All Things New

I changed up my bed pillows a little. I sewed the shams on the large pillows in the back out of leftover curtain fabric. Then, I bought a bolster pillow at TJ Maxx and sewed a different, ruffly cover for it.

And, it was time for a little change-up in my dining room as well. I took down the thin wire that was my curtain rod, plus the thin white curtains, and made cream linen Roman shades for the windows.

I also hung some plates on the wall (apparently I never get sick of plates hung on walls...they're everywhere...in my kitchen, my living room, now my dining room). I got two at TJ Maxx and one the bottom one I had.

And look what came in the mail! I had this book made by Blurb for Miles' baby book. I am really impressed with how it turned out. It's nice to have the pictures part of the page instead of glued on. It feels more durable that way. I left lots of blank pages at the back to add more pictures and thoughts.

A Night to End All Nights

I wish I could say I spend New Year's Eve counting down the minutes until midnight, but alas, I am always asleep by the time the big apple drops in Times Square. But, if you're the gutsy-celebratory type, I wish you a very enjoyable evening. Best wishes for the big 2010!

Breaking It (Winter Breaking It, That Is)

Those cold, pouty lips!

These three sledded while I sat in the car with Miles, who has an aversion to snow and cold.

We also rented a carpet cleaner and got the rugs beneath our feet clean as new. You should've seen how dirty the water was! We do this every year and it's amazing how dirty they get in one year!

Travis says this is the best break he's ever had. (I should note that he's spent about 95% of it on the couch playing video games). I have loved it too. I've had nice, long naps every day, we've had practically no schedule, and I've still got Pandora on the King's College Choir station. Finn has played with his Legos almost the entire day, Lucy has taken on a Donna Reed persona, baking and cooking with her new kitchen food/pots and pans, and Miles is walking all over the place. I don't want "real life" to ever come back.

Golden-kissed and Ruffled

I did something I've never done before: bought a home hair highlighting kit. I coaxed Travis into pulling the strands of hair through the plastic cap with that plastic crochet hook (part of the kit). I was actually impressed with how it turned out. I was expecting a more amateur-ish look, but for $6, it was not a bad salon alternative.

(Ignore the poofy hair; not sure what was going on up there on Sunday). But, look! More ruffles! This time on one of my favorite cardigans. It was alot easier than I thought it would be and it literally took 10 minutes. I used fabric that doesn't fray (kind of a stretchy webbing-like fabric) so I didn't have to hem the edges before sewing the ruffle. I ended up sewing two rows of ruffles to give it a fuller look. If you want to see a really cool Anthro-inspired cardigan, go here to see what my sister Lauren created. I love it!

sweater inspiration here

From Fuzzheads to Buzzheads

Miles (with the softest head of golden hair) was getting a mullet just like his older brother Finn. So we decided to take action. Come Christmas Day, the clippers came out and all but shaved these brothers' heads. If I had more haircutting skills, I would've scissor-trimmed their heads of hair, but alas, this was the easiest fix for the mullets.

Little Touches

I "ruffled" our family picture last night. It just needed something to spruce it up.

I love how little, subtle- perhaps noticeable only to me- changes really do make a difference.

(I just sewed a thin ruffle and then hot glued it around the edge of the mat).

Yuletide Greetings

Our Christmas Eve so far has included:

:: unwrapping new pajamas ::

:: reading Luke's account of the Savior's birth ::

:: watching a short Christmas movie ::

:: bedtime (though the ruffians are still bouncing off the walls upstairs) ::

:: reflections on a young, humble Mary who entered the experience of her first birthing in an animal's stall ::

:: gratitude for the Babe who would become the Savior of Mankind ::

:: lots of talk of presents to be unwrapped in the morning ::

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas from all of us at the Chicken Coop!

Joining the Masses

Update: these boots are making me lazy. If I want to go out, I simply slip on a pair of leggings, tie up the boots and go. I don't change my shirt because my coat covers it up, even if it is a grungy old pajama shirt. Tie a scarf around my neck and who knew I'm only halfway out of my pajamas. (It's our little secret). Above, I am pictured with my pajama shirt layered with a short cotton dress and thermal leggings. Travis shot this just before we walked out the door to join the scores of warm bodied, last-minute Christmas shoppers at the local Target.

And I just threw this picture in the "post" pile because it features Lucy wearing her favorite hand-me-down-from-cousin-Ivy candy dress, plus a homemade bow I made for her special Santa's Boot Camp activity. (Incidentally, she didn't come home wearing the bow, so I'm assuming it fell off and was lost forever. Such is life).

Okay, I promise this was the last post about the boots. I'm ready for Christmas. Shopping: completely done. Food for Christmas dinner: bought. Christmas pajamas for kids: wrapped. Christmas tree: only 3 ornaments broke, shedding needles, but still in tact. "It's a Wonderful Life": watched, enjoyed, internalized.

Wishing you and yours the Best Christmas Ever!

P.S. The funniest part of our night at Target was when Miles was "letting it rip" on several occasions. Picture this: he's leaning back in the child seat, strapped in tight, just hanging out, when he did a loud grunt and then an even louder toot, followed by several quiet ones. Travis and I busted up laughing. Travis said, "Miles must feel alot better now." Tru-dat.

Bags Under Eyes: Explained

Ever since Finn was born, I've wanted to make a set of coordinating family stockings (how quaint, right?). I was inspired by the vintage fair ribbons I've seen around the webosphere, and also by snowflakes. I'm not sure the combination works super well, but hey, there's not alot that I can do about it now that I've ironed on the "ribbon snowflakes." I think it would also be cool to have hand-embroidered the names in cursive lettering. Maybe next year when I haven't put it off to the last minute.